90 Years of the Inter-American Commission

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN

1928 - 2018 90 YEARS

OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION OF WOMEN A path of struggles, achievements, and challenges

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM

CIM DIRECTORY

Carmen Moreno Toscano Executive Secretary Luz Patricia Mejía Technical Secretary MESECVI Hilary Anderson Senior Specialist Yasmin Solitahe Odlum Specialist Beatriz Piñeres Specialist Eva Villarreal Specialist Marta Martínez Specialist Violeta Colmán Specialist Javiera Sandoval Specialist Leonardo López Finance Officer María Eugenia Villavicencio Administrative Assistant

CREDITS

CONCEPT: CIM EXECUTION: CasaTres RESEARCH: Elba Martínez Vargas; Maryuri González; Moisés Durán; Carmen Schmidt; Liseth Vega DESIGN: María Eugenia González PHOTOGRAPHY: Maureen Riveros GENERAL COORDINATION: Elba Martínez Vargas

(2018)

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM Index

CIM Directory / Credits 3

PRESENTATION: 90 years of the CIM “A path of struggles, achievements, and challenges” 5

7 TOGETHER WE WILL GET THERE 8 LEGISLATION

-Members of the OAS 10 -Convention of Belém do Pará 11 * Convention text 17 * Signatory countries 18

-Countries with laws that classify femicide/feminicide as a crime 25

-Laws or public policies against discrimination 28

HISTORY 31

“90 years without stopping: The most important moments 32

All the times the cim has blazed the trail 43

PRESIDENTS OF THE CIM 47

TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT 57

*Types of violence 58 *Concepts 61 *Emerging issues 64 *The CIM’s major challenge 68 *Threats 70 *Organizations 72

AN ISSUE THAT CONCERNS US ALL 77

-Significant data. 78

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM Presentation

A PATH OF STRUGGLES, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND CHALLENGES

The Atlas of the Struggles of Women commemorates the Inter-American Commission of Women’s 90 years of fighting for women’s rights and pays tribute to all the women of the Americas. Illustrated with infographics and photos that accessibly and dynamically present the struggles, achievements, challenges, and threats that have shaped the history of women in the hemisphere. The Atlas also immerses us in updated figures and current legislation. It will introduce us to all the women who have served as president of the CIM in these 90 years, and will facilitate access to a wide range of organizations that work to prevent and eradicate violence against women.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 5 This is a tool that facilitates a first approach to legislation, history, concepts, data and relevant issues related to the prevention, punishment and eradication of violence against women in the Americas. It is a material of general diffusion, an introduction for those who want to start in the knowledge of gender issues, accessible to all, written in simple and comfortable language. And it is also a box of basic cards that compiles and summarizes the unavoidable issues and most relevant issues and that can be used in many different ways by specialists, professors or journalists.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 6 TOGETHER WE

WILL GET THERE Learn about regional legislation and the history and presidents of the CIM.

7 Together we will get there

LEGISLATION

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 8 Together we will get there LEGISLATION

MEMBERS OF THE OAS

SIGNATORY COUNTRIES CONVENTION OF BELÉM DO PARÁ

COUNTRIES WITH LAWS THAT CLASSIFY FEMICIDE/FEMINICIDE AS A CRIME

EXISTENCE OF LAWS AND/OR PUBLIC POLICIES DESIGNED TO PREVENT AND ERADICATE CULTURAL OR DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES AND BEHAVIORS BASED ON THE SUBORDINATION OR INFERIORITY OF WOMEN.

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MEMBERS OF THE OAS

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 10 Together we will get there LEGISLATION / Convention of Belém do Pará

CONVENTION OF BELÉM DO PARÁ

The Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women, known as the Convention of Belém do Pará, signed in Brazil in 1994, establishes the right of women to live violence-free lives, emphasizing that violence is a violation of women’s human rights and fundamental freedoms.

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Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará)) PREAMBLE

THE STATES PARTIES TO THIS CONVENTION,

RECOGNIZING that full respect for human rights has been enshrined in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and reaffirmed in other international and regional instruments;

AFFIRMING that violence against women constitutes a violation of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and impairs or nullifies the observance, enjoyment and exercise of such rights and freedoms;

CONCERNED that violence against women is an offense against human dignity and a manifestation of the historically unequal power relations between women and men;

RECALLING the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted by the Twenty- fifth Assembly of Delegates of the Inter-American Commission of Women, and affirming that violence against women pervades every sector of society regardless of class, race or ethnic group, income, culture, leve of education, age or religion and strikes at its very foundations;

CONVINCED that the elimination of violence against women is essential for their individual and social development and their full and equal participation in all walks of life; and

CONVINCED that the adoption of a convention on the prevention, punishment and eradication of all forms of violence against women within the framework of the Organization of American States is a positive contribution to protecting the rights of women and eliminating violence against them,

HAVE AGREED to the following:

CHAPTER I DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF APPLICATION

Article 1 For the purposes of this Convention, violence against women shall be understood as any act or conduct, based on gender, which causes death or physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women,whether in the public or the private sphere.

Article 2 Violence against women shall be understood to include physical, sexual and psychological violence: a. that occurs within the family or domestic unit or within any other interpersonal relationship, whether or not the perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence with the woman, including, among others, rape, battery and sexual abuse; b. that occurs in the community and is perpetrated by any person, including, among others, rape, sexual abuse, torture, trafficking in persons, forced prostitution, kidnapping and sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as in educational institutions, health facilities or any other place; and c. that is perpetrated or condoned by the state or its agents regardless of where it occurs.

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CHAPTER II RIGHTS PROTECTED

Article 3 Every woman has the right to be free from violence in both the public and private spheres.

Article 4 Every woman has the right to the recognition, enjoyment, exercise and protection of all human rights and freedoms embodied in regional and international human rights instruments. These rights include, among others: a. The right to have her life respected; b. The right to have her physical, mental and moral integrity respected; c. The right to personal liberty and security; d. The right not to be subjected to torture;e. The right to have the inherent dignity of her person respected and her family protected; f. The right to equal protection before the law and of the law; g. The right to simple and prompt recourse to a competent court for protection against acts that violate her rights; h. The right to associate freely; i. The right of freedom to profess her religion and beliefs within the law; and j. The right to have equal access to the public service of her country and to take part in the conduct of public affairs, including decision-making.

Article 5 Every woman is entitled to the free and full exercise of her civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, and may rely on the full protection of those rights as embodied in regional and international instruments on human rights. The States Parties recognize that violence against women prevents and nullifies the exercise of these rights.

Article 6 The right of every woman to be free from violence includes, among others: a. The right of women to be free from all forms of discrimination; and b. The right of women to be valued and educated free of stereotyped patterns of behavior and social and cultural practices based on concepts of inferiority or subordination.

CHAPTER III DUTIES OF THE STATES

Article 7 The States Parties condemn all forms of violence against women and agree to pursue, by all appropriate means and without delay, policies to prevent, punish and eradicate such violence and undertake to: a. refrain from engaging in any act or practice of violence against women and to ensure that their authorities, officials, personnel, agents, and institutions act in conformity with this obligation; b. apply due diligence to prevent, investigate and impose penalties for violence against women; c. include in their domestic legislation penal, civil, administrative and any other type of provisions that may be needed to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women and to adopt appropriate administrative measures where necessary; d. adopt legal measures to require the perpetrator to refrain from harassing, intimidating or threatening the woman or using any method that harms or endangers her life or integrity, or damages her property; e. take all appropriate measures, including legislative measures, to amend or repeal existing laws and regulations or to modify legal or customary practices which sustain the persistence and tolerance of violence against women; f. establish fair and effective legal procedures for women who have been subjected to violence which include, among others, protective measures, a timely hearing and effective access to such procedures; g. establish the necessary legal and administrative mechanisms to ensure that women subjected to violence have effective access to restitution, reparations or other just and effective remedies; and h. adopt such legislative or other measures as may be necessary to give effect to this Convention.

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Article 8 The States Parties agree to undertake progressively specific measures, including programs: a. to promote awareness and observance of the right of women to be free from violence, and the right of women to have their human rights respected and protected; b. to modify social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, including the development of formal and informal educational programs appropriate to every level of the educational process, to counteract prejudices, customs and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or superiority of either of the sexes or on the stereotyped roles for men and women which legitimize or exacerbate violence against women; c. to promote the education and training of all those involved in the administration of justice, police and other law enforcement officers as well as other personnel responsible for implementing policies for the prevention, punishment and eradication of violence against women; d. to provide appropriate specialized services for women who have been subjected to violence, through public and private sector agencies, including shelters, counseling services for ail family members where appropriate, and care and custody of the affected children: e. to promote and support governmental and private sector education designed to raise the awareness of the public with respect to the problems of and remedies for violence against women; f. to provide women who are subjected to violence access to effective readjustment and training programs to enable them to fully participate in public, private and social life; g. to encourage the communications media to develop appropriate media guidelines in order to contribute to the eradication of violence against women in all its forms, and to enhance respect for the dignity of women; h. to ensure research and the gathering of statistics and other relevant information relating to the causes, consequences and frequency of violence against women, in order to assess the effectiveness of measures to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women and to formulate and implement the necessary changes; and i. to foster international cooperation for the exchange of ideas and experiences and the execution of programs aimed at protecting women who are subjected to violence.

Article 9 With respect to the adoption of the measures in this Chapter, the States Parties shall take special account of the vulnerability of women to violence by reason of among others, their race or ethnic background or their status as migrants, refugees or displaced persons. Similar consideration shall be given to women subjected to violence while pregnant or who are disabled, of minor age, elderly, socio-economically disadvantaged, affected by armed conflict or deprived of their freedom.

CHAPTER IV INTER-AMERICAN MECHANISMS OF PROTECTION

Article 10 In order to protect the right of every woman to be free from violence, the States Parties shall include in their national reports to the Inter-American Commission of Women information on measures adopted to prevent and prohibit violence against women, and to assist women affected by violence, as well as on any difficulties they observe in applying those measures, and the factors that contribute to violence against women.

Article 11 The States Parties to this Convention and the Inter-American Commission of Women may request of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights advisory opinions on the interpretation of this Convention.

Article 12 Any person or group of persons, or any nongovernmental entity legally recognized in one or more member states of the Organization, may lodge petitions with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights containing denunciations or complaints of violations of Article 7 of this Convention by a State Party, and the Commission shall consider such claims in accordance with the

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norms and procedures established by the American Convention on Human Rights and the Statutes and Regulations of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for lodging and considering petitions.

CHAPTER V GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 13 No part of this Convention shall be understood to restrict or limit the domestic law of any State Party that affords equal or greater protection and guarantees of the rights of women and appropriate safeguards to prevent and eradicate violence against women.

Article 14 No part of this Convention shall be understood to restrict or limit the American Convention on Human Rights or any other international convention on the subject that provides for equal or greater protection in this area.

Article 15 This Convention is open to signature by all the member States of the Organization of American States.

Article 16 This Convention is subject to ratification. The instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States.

Article 17 This Convention is open to accession by any other state. Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States.

Article 18 Any State may, at the time of approval, signature, ratification, or accession, make reservations to this Convention provided that such reservations are: a. not incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention, and b. not of a general nature and relate to one or more specific provisions.

Article 19 Any State Party may submit to the General Assembly, through the Inter-American Commission of Women, proposals for the amendment of this Convention. Amendments shall enter into force for the states ratifying them on the date when two-thirds of the States Parties to this Convention have deposited their respective instruments of ratification. With respect to the other States Parties, the amendments shall enter into force on the dates on which they deposit their respective instruments of ratification.

Article 20 If a State Party has two or more territorial units in which the matters dealt with in this Convention are governed by different systems of law, it may, at the time of signature, ratification or accession, declare that this Convention shall extend to all its territorial units or to only one or more of them. Such a declaration may be amended at any time by subsequent declarations, which shall expressly specify the territorial unit or units to which this Convention applies. Such subsequent declarations shall be transmitted to the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States, and shall enter into force thirty days after the date of their receipt.

Article 21 This Convention shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of deposit of the second instrument of ratification. For each State that ratifies or accedes to the Convention after the second instrument of ratification is deposited, it shall enter into force thirty days after the date on which that State deposited its instrument of ratification or accession.

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Article 22 The Secretary General shall inform all member states of the Organization of American States of the entry into force of this Convention.

Article 23 The Secretary General of the Organization of American States shall present an annual report to the member states of the Organization on the status of this Convention, including the signatures, deposits of instruments of ratification and accession, and declarations, and any reservations that may have been presented by the States Parties, accompanied by a report thereon if needed.

Article 24 This Convention shall remain in force indefinitely, but any of the States Parties may denounce it by depositing an instrument to that effect with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States. One year after the date of deposit of the instrument of denunciation, this Convention shall cease to be in effect for the denouncing State but shall remain in force for the remaining States Parties.

Article 25 The original instrument of this Convention, the English, French, Portuguese and Spanish texts of which are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States, which shall send a certified copy to the Secretariat of the United Nations for registration and publication in accordance with the provisions of Article 102 of the United Nations Charter.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned Plenipotentiaries, being duly authorized thereto by their respective governments, have signed this Convention, which shall be called the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women ~Convention of Belém do Pará.

DONE IN THE CITY OF BELEN DO PARA, BRAZIL, the ninth of June in the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-four.

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SIGNATORY COUNTRIES CONVENTION OF BELÉM DO PARÁ

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National institutions and legislation related to the prevention, punishment and erradication of violence against women in the signatory countries of the Convention of Belém Do Pará

ANTIGUA Y BARBUDA THE BAHAMAS National institution: National institution: Directorate of Gender Affairs, a division of the Department of Gender & Family Affairs, a division Ministry of Social Transformation and Human of the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Resource Development. Development. National legislation: National legislation: Domestic Violence Act (2015). Domestic Violence (Protection Orders) Act, *The definition of domestic violence includes 2007. physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, and *The Bahamas has still not developed a economic violence, and physical harassment and comprehensive legal framework to prevent and cyberstalking. eradicate the violation of the set of women’s Sexual Offenses Act (1995). rights; current regulations only address physical *Establishes the offences associated with sexual and sexual violence in the private sphere. violence, the punishments for them, and other regulations. BARBADOS ARGENTINA National institution: National institution: Bureau of Gender Affairs, a division of the Ministry National Women’s Institute. of Social Care, Constituency Empowerment and National legislation: Community Development. Law 26.485. Comprehensive Protection to National legislation: Prevent, Punish, and Eradicate Violence against Domestic Violence (Protection Orders) Act Women in the Spheres of their Interpersonal (1993). Relationships (2009). *Establishes mechanisms for protecting the Regulatory Decree 1011/2010. safety of victims. *Defines aggressions against women in the *Classifies situations like harassment, verbal public and private spheres. abuse, physical violence, and malicious damage *Recognizes five types of violence: physical, to property as offenses. psychological, sexual, economic and property- *Introduces measures and severe penalties for related, and symbolic. the perpetrators. *Forms: domestic, institutional, labor, against reproductive freedom, obstetric, and media.

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BELIZE BRAZIL National institution: National institution: Women’s Department, of the Ministry of Human National Secretariat for Women’s Policies, tied to Development, Social Transformation and Poverty the Government Secretariat of the Presidency of Alleviation. the Federative Republic of Brazil. National legislation: National legislation: Domestic Violence Act. Maria da Penha Law (2006). *Includes: physical, sexual, emotional, *Creates special courts for domestic and family psychological, and financial abuse. violence against women, with jurisdiction over *Gives more power to the Family Court to grant criminal and civil matters. protective measures to victims. *Provides for strict criminal punishments against *Establishes severe criminal penalties for the aggressors. aggressors. CHILE BOLIVIA National institution: National institution: Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Gender Equality. Comprehensive Plurinational Information National legislation: System for Gender-based Violence Prevention, Law 20,066 on Domestic Violence (2005). Assistance, Punishment, and Eradication (SIPPASE), under the authority of the Bureau of Justice and Fundamental Rights of the Ministry COLOMBIA of Justice. National institution: National legislation: Presidential Office for Women’s Equity. Comprehensive Law to Guarantee Women a National legislation: Life Free of Violence (Law No. 348) of 2013. Law 1257, which issues regulations to raise *Recognizes 16 forms of violence. awareness, prevent, and punish forms of *Establishes the creation of an Anti-Violence violence and discrimination against women; Force within the Bolivian Police. reforms the Criminal Code, Code of Criminal *Eliminates the construct of voluntary Procedure, and Law No. 294 of 1996; and enacts manslaughter (for reasons of “honor”), other provisions. establishing penalties of two to eight years for such cases.

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COSTA RICA EL SALVADOR National institution: National institution: National Women’s Institute (INAMU). Salvadoran Institute for the Advancement of National legislation: Women (ISDEMU). Law Criminalizing Violence against Women National legislation: (2007). Comprehensive Special Law for Violence- *Punishes physical, psychological, sexual, and Free Lives for Women (2010). property-based violence against women. *Recognizes seven types of violence: economic, *Classifies the offense of femicide as a crime, feminicide, physical, psychological and with the imposition of a prison sentence of 20 emotional, property-based, sexual, and symbolic. to 35 years. *Notable due to the inclusion of feminicide, which was not codified in El Salvador’s Criminal Code DOMINICA or Code of Criminal Procedure, as an aggravated National institution: offense punished with prison terms of 20 to 50 Bureau of Gender Affairs, division of the Ministry years. for Social Services, Family and Gender Affairs. National legislation: GRENADA Ley de Protección contra la Violencia National institution: Doméstica (The Protection Against Domestic Domestic Violence Unit, a division of the Ministry Violence Act), 2001. of Social Development, Housing and Community *Grants the police the power to enter premises or Development. homes without an arrest warrant when domestic National legislation: violence is suspected. Domestic Violence Act, 2010. *Makes it mandatory for the aggressor to ECUADOR receive professional counseling or to attend a National institution: psychoeducational program (previously this was National System to Prevent and Eradicate only a recommendation). Gender-based Violence against Women. *Provides for increased Royal Grenada Police National legislation: Force participation in responding to reports of Comprehensive Organic Law to Prevent and domestic violence. Eradicate Violence against Women. *Mandates a domestic violence register. *Punishes physical, sexual, psychological, economic or property-based, symbolic, political, and gynecological-obstetric violence in the family, education, work, sport, state, prison, media, cybernetic, public, community, health center and institution, and humanitarian situation and emergency spheres.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 20 Together we will get there LEGISLATION / Convention of Belém do Pará

GUATEMALA HONDURAS National institution: National institution: Presidential Secretariat for Women (SEPREM), National Women’s Institute. technical institution under the authority of the National legislation: Presidency of the Republic. Law Prohibiting Domestic Violence. National legislation: *Recognizes the following types of violence: Law Prohibiting Femicide and other Forms physical, psychological, property-related/ of Violence against Women, Decree No. 22 economic, and sexual. (2008). *Establishes a number of protective and *Recognizes four types of violence against precautionary safety measures to restore women: sexual, physical, psychological, and victims’ rights. economic. *Modified on several occasions to create *Of note is the codification of femicide as an mechanisms for coordination and monitoring offense, punishable by prison terms of 25 to 50 and to increase the length of sentences. years for the aggressors.

GUYANA JAMAICA National institution: National institution: Women’s Affairs Bureau. Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and National legislation: Sport of the Government of Jamaica. Domestic Violence Act (1996). National legislation: Domestic Violence Act. HAITI *Modified in 2004, it allows a Court-authorized National institution: third party to institute legal action on behalf of Ministry for the Status of Women and Women’s the victim of domestic violence. Rights. National legislation: MEXICO *Haiti does not have laws that comprehensively National institution: address the various forms of violence against National Women’s Institute. women. National legislation: *In 2005, in the Criminal Code, discrimination General Law on Women’s Access to a Life against women was replaced with the codified Free of Violence. offense of sexual assault (Décret modifiant le *For the first time, the various types of violence régime des Agressions sexuelles et éliminant en are specified: psychological, physical, economic, la matière le discrimination contre la femme). property-based, and sexual. *Includes feminicide.

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NICARAGUA PARAGUAY National institution: National institution: Ministry for Women. Ministry for Women. National legislation: National legislation: Comprehensive Law against Violence against Ley de Protección Integral a las Mujeres Women and reforming Law No. 641 Criminal contra toda forma de violencia (2016). Code of Nicaragua. *Lists 15 types of violence: feminicide; physical, *Covers the public and private spheres. psychological, and sexual violence; violence *Recognizes seven types of violence against against reproductive rights; property-based women: misogyny; physical; psychological; and economic, workplace, political, domestic, sexual; workplace; property-based and obstetric, media, telematics, symbolic, and economic; and violence perpetrated within the institutional violence; and violence against civil service. dignity. *Of note is the legal concept of femicide.

PANAMA PERU National institution: National institution: National Women’s Institute (INAMU). Ministry for Women and Vulnerable Populations. National legislation: National legislation: Law 82, codifying femicide and violence Law No. 30364 to Prevent, Punish, and against women (2013). Eradicate Violence against Women and *Adopts preventive measures against violence Family Members . against women and reforms the Criminal Code *Covers the public and private spheres. to codify femicide and punish acts of violence *Urges the state to create services like temporary against women. refuge housing and programs for men to prevent *Covers the public and private spheres. violent behavior. *Includes: harassment, legal abuse, violence against reproductive freedom, educational and teacher violence, violence in public and private healthcare services, physical violence, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC institutional violence, workplace and wage National institution: violence, media violence, obstetric violence, Ministry for Women. property-based and economic violence, and National legislation: political, psychological, sexual, and symbolic Law 24-97 modifying the Criminal Code, Code of violence. Criminal Procedure, and Code for the Protection of Boys, Girls, and Adolescents.

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SAN KITTS Y NEVIS SURINAME National institution: National institution: Department of Gender Affairs. National Bureau for Gender Policy, under the National legislation: authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Domestic Violence Act. National legislation: *Addresses physical, sexual, financial, and Law on Combatting Domestic Violence. psychological abuse, arbitrary deprivation of *Defines domestic violence as any form of liberty, harassment, and intimidation. physical, sexual, psychological, or financial abuse committed by a person against their spouse, child, parent, member of the family, or SAINT VINCENT AND THE dependents. *Establishes measures to care for and protect GRENADINES victims, through appropriate procedures carried National institution: out by the competent authorities. Gender Affairs Division, unit under the authority *Establishes severe punishments for the of the Ministry of National Mobilization, Social aggressors. Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Persons with Disabilities and Youth. National legislation: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Domestic Violence Act. National institution: Office of the Prime Minister, Gender and Child Affairs. National legislation: SAINT LUCIA Domestic Violence Act of 1999. National institution: *Provides immediate injunctive relief to victims Department of Gender Relations, unit of the of domestic violence and ensures a prompt and Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender equitable legal remedy for victims. Relations and Sustainable Development. *Defines domestic violence as all forms of National legislation: physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, or Domestic Violence (Summary Proceedings) financial abuse committed by a person against Act. a spouse, child, or any other person who is a *Provides for protective and preventive measures member of the household or dependent. for victims of domestic violence. *Gives police officers the capacity to act, pursuant *The country does not have a comprehensive to the provisions of the Criminal Code, against a law that addresses the various manifestations of person who may be engaging in violent conduct. violence against women; however the Criminal *This is because it considers that the authority’s Code was amended in 2005 to incorporate failure to act may result in serious physical injury provisions that cover violence against women, to or the death of the victim. like “marital rape” and sexual and workplace assault.

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URUGUAY VENEZUELA National institution: National institution: National Women’s Institute, under the authority Ministry of the People’s Power for Women and of the Ministry of Social Development. Gender Equality. National legislation: National legislation: Comprehensive Law to Guarantee Women Organic Law on the Right of Women to a Lives Free from Gender Violence. Violence-Free Life. *Includes transgender women. *Lists nineteen types of violence. *Urges the creation of courts specialized in *Includes femicide. gender-based, domestic, and sexual violence.

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COUNTRIES WITH LAWS THAT CLASSIFY FEMICIDE/FEMINICIDE AS A CRIME

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ARGENTINA COLOMBIA ARTICLE 80 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE: When ARTICLE 104 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE: Feminicide. a man kills a women and gender-based The person who causes a woman to die because violence is involved, he will be sentenced to life she is a woman or due to her gender identity, or imprisonment. if any of the following circumstances occurred concurrently with or preceded the death, will BOLIVIA incur a prison sentence of two hundred fifty to ARTICLE 252 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE: The five hundred months. person who kills a woman, in any of the following circumstances, will be sentenced to thirty years COSTA RICA in prison, without the right to pardon: (…). ARTICLE 21 OF THE LAW CRIMINALIZING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: Femicide. A prison BRAZIL sentence of twenty to thirty-five years will be ARTICLE 121 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE with imposed on the person who brings death to a the wording established in the Law “Femicide. woman to whom he is married or with whom he Modifying Criminal Code,” No. 13,104 of 2015 maintains a common-law relationship, registered Codifying feminicide: Defines feminicide as the or not. homicide of a woman because she is female. When the crime involves domestic and family ECUADOR violence, or contempt for or discrimination against ARTICLE 141 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE: Femicide. females, it is considered to have been committed The person who, as a result of the power relations because the victim is female. Sentences for manifested in any type of violence, brings femicide are increased by one-third to one-half death to a woman because she is a woman or if the crime was perpetrated: because of her gender status, will be punished I – when the victim is pregnant or during the first with a twenty-two- to twenty-six-year term of three months postpartum; imprisonment. II – against a person younger than 14 (fourteen) years old, older than 60, or with a disability. EL SALVADOR III – in the presence of descendants or ascendants ARTICLE 6 OF THE LAW AGAINST FEMICIDE AND of the victim. OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: Feminicide. Whoever causes the death of a CHILE woman on account of hate or contempt for her ARTICLE 390 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE: being female, will be sentenced to twenty to If the victim of the crime described in the thirty-five years in prison. preceding section is or was the spouse or live- in partner of the perpetrator, the crime will be called femicide. GUATEMALA ARTICLE 6 OF THE LAW AGAINST FEMICIDE AND OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: Femicide. The crime of femicide is committed by the person who, in the context of the unequal power relationships between men and women, brings death to a woman because she is a woman, in any of the following circumstances (…).

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 26 Together we will get there LEGISLATION / Feminicide

HONDURAS PARAGUAY ARTICLE 118-A OF THE CRIMINAL CODE ARTICLE 50 OF THE LAW FOR THE INCORPORATED THROUGH DECREE LAW COMPREHENSIVE PROTECTION OF WOMEN 23/2013: The man or men who bring death to a AGAINST ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCE: Feminicide. woman on account of her gender, with hate and The person who kills a woman because she is a contempt for her being female, commit the crime woman under any of the following circumstances of femicide and will be punished with a sentence will be sentenced to ten to thirty years in prison. of thirty (30) to forty (40) years in prison, when one or more of the following circumstances also exist (...). PERU ARTICLE 108 B OF THE CRIMINAL CODE: Feminicide. The person who kills a woman MEXICO because she is a woman in any of the following ARTICLE 325 OF THE FEDERAL CRIMINAL CODE: contexts will be punished with no fewer than The person who deprives a woman of her life fifteen years imprisonment (...) on account of her gender commits the crime of feminicide. The crime is considered to have been committed on account of gender when any DOMINICAN REPUBLIC of the following circumstances exist. The person ARTICLE 100 OF LAW NO. 550. ARTICLE 100. who commits the crime of feminicide will be Feminicide. The person who intentionally kills a sentenced to forty to seventy years in prison and woman in the context of being in, having been from five hundred to one thousand day fines. In in, or wanting to be in a partner relationship addition to the penalties described in this article, with her, commits feminicide. Feminicide will be the offender will lose all rights in connection with punished with thirty to forty years of long-term the victim, including succession rights. imprisonment.

NICARAGUA VENEZUELA ARTICLE 9 OF THE COMPREHENSIVE LAW ARTICLE 57 OF THE ORGANIC LAW ON THE RIGHT AGAINST VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: Femicide. OF WOMEN TO A VIOLENCE-FREE LIFE. The crime of femicide is committed by the Femicides. He who, motivated by hate or man who, in the context of the unequal power contempt for women, intentionally causes relations between men and women, brings death the death of a woman, commits the crime of to a woman in the public or private sphere, in any femicide, which will be punished with twenty of the following circumstances (…) to twenty-five years in prison. Hate or contempt The sentences established in the preceding for women is considered to exist in any of the numbered paragraph will be increased by one- following circumstances (…) third when any of the murder circumstances coexist, up to a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty years.

PANAMÁ ARTICLE 132-A OF THE CRIMINAL CODE: Femicide: Whoever causes the death of a woman, in any of the following circumstances, will be sentenced to twenty-five to thirty years in prison.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 27 Together we will get there LEGISLATION / Discrimination

EXISTENCE OF LAWS AND/OR PUBLIC POLICIES DESIGNED TO PREVENT AND ERADICATE CULTURAL OR DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES AND BEHAVIORS BASED ON THE SUBORDINATION OR INFERIORITY OF WOMEN.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 28 Together we will get there LEGISLATION / Discrimination

ARGENTINA GUATEMALA *Law 26,485 on comprehensive protection to *Law Prohibiting Femicide and other forms of prevent, punish, and eradicate violence against Violence against Women. women in their interpersonal relationships . *Law Prohibiting Sexual Violence, Exploitation, *Law 26,743 on gender identity. and Human Trafficking. *Law 26,150 establishing the comprehensive *Law to Prevent, Punish, and Eradicate Domestic sexual education program, known as the ESI Violence. Program, for its initials in Spanish . *Law for the Comprehensive Advancement and *Commission on Gender Issues established in Dignity of Women. August 2007 by resolution of the national public *Law for Social Development. defender’s office (DGN) No. 1157/2007. *Law for the Comprehensive Protection of *Resolution DGN No. 1545/2015 on lesbians, Children and Adolescents. gays, trans, bisexual, and intersex persons. *Law for the Protection of Elderly Persons. *Resolution DGN No. 534/2009 Women and the law. HONDURAS *Law Prohibiting Domestic Violence Decree No. CHILE 132-97 and amendments passed by Decree No. *Law No. 20,820 establishing the Ministry of 250-2005. Women’s Affairs and Gender Equality. *Criminal Code in the amendments included in 1996, 1997, and 2005. COLOMBIA *Law Prohibiting Human Trafficking, Legislative *Law 1482 criminalizes acts of racism and Decree No. 59-2012. discrimination, including those based on gender. *Law of Equal Opportunity for Women and Rules *Law 872. of Procedure Legislative Decree No. 34-2000. *Regulatory Decree 4295 Differential Approach *Code of Criminal Procedure, Decree No. 9-99-e. Model of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute.

COSTA RICA *Executive Decree 38120-C National Policy MEXICO on Cultural Rights, which includes a gender *Law establishing the National Women’s Institute. perspective. *General Law on Women’s Access to a Life Free of Violence. *General Law for Equality between Men and EL SALVADOR Women. *Ley Especial Integral para una Vida Libre de *Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Violencia contra las Mujeres LEIV. Discrimination.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 29 Together we will get there LEGISLATION / Discrimination

PANAMA VENEZUELA *Law No. 4 of 1999 on Equality of Opportunity *Organic Law on the Right of Women to a for Women. Violence-Free Life, 2007, in which Chapter IV *Law No. 82 of October 2013 Codifies femicide is dedicated to public policies to prevent and and ensures measures to combat violence address violence against women. against women. *Organic Law to Prohibit Racial Discrimination, *Law No. 16 for the prevention and codification 2014, which contributes to the prevention and of crimes against integrity and sexual freedom eradication of discriminatory or cultural behaviors *Law No. 29 to guarantee the health and based on the subordination or inferiority of education of pregnant adolescents. women of African descent. *Law No. 38 on domestic violence and mistreatment of children and adolescents. *Law No. 39 on responsible parenting.

PERU *Ministerial Resolution No. 00050 on strengthening comprehensive healthcare to treat violence against women and domestic violence. *Resolution No. 0004, compulsory and timely notification across the National Health System of physical abuse and sexual violence, in the Epidemiological Surveillance Information System. *Resolution No. 000032 on the effective implementation and monitoring of the comprehensive healthcare strategy guidelines.

URUGUAY *Law of equality between men and women, No. 18,104 of 2007. *Decree of the Executive Branch (PE) 306/15 Action Plan 2016-2019 for lives free of gender violence. *Law against Domestic Violence, No. 17,154 of 2002. *Law to Eradicate Domestic Violence, No. 17,514 of 2002. *Law on the Criminalization of Domestic Violence, No. 16,707 of July 12, 1995, Article 18. *Criminal Code Law No. 9155 Art. 321 bis.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 30 Together we will get there

HISTORY 1928-2018 90 years WITHOUT STOPPING CHRONOLOGY

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 31 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

Women were granted the right to vote in Canada (1918) and Uruguay (1927); suffragist movements emerged throughout the Americas.

In May 1923, the women of the Americas raised, with an international organization, the need to include a gender equality program to ensure that women would enjoy the same civil and political rights, responsibilities, and freedoms as men.

February 7, 1928: Doris Stevens made her historic speech at the Sixth International Conference of American States, held in Havana, asserting for the first time that women’s rights are human rights. February 1928: Alice Paul drafted an equality treaty proposing an agreement among states to advance equal rights for men and women.

February 18, 1928: The Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) was established as the first intergovernmental organization specifically founded to fight for the rights of women. In February 1930, the first conference of the Inter-American Commission of Women was held in Havana, Cuba.

December 1933: at the Seventh Pan-American Conference in Montevideo, the CIM presented the first study in the world on the civil and political equality of women. This was also the first international meeting to see women included in the attending delegations.

In 1933, with the signing of the Treaty on Equality of Rights for Women, Sofía Álvarez Vignoli de Demicheli, founder of the Inter-American Commission of Women, became the first woman from the Americas to sign an international treaty.

In 1933, for the first time a treaty was approved in recognition of women’s rights to their own nationality. The Convention on the Nationality of Women, which the CIM promoted, clearly established that for the plenipotentiaries, “There shall be no distinction based on sex as regards nationality, in their legislation or in their practice.”

In December 1938, the Lima Declaration in favor of Women’s Rights recognized women’s rights to access political life in the same conditions as men; to enjoy equality in terms of marital status; to protection and to employment opportunities; and to receive the broadest protection possible as mothers.

The Inter-American Convention on the Granting of Political Rights to Women was signed in March 1948; it set forth that the right to vote and to be elected to national office shall not be denied or abridged by reason of sex.

The Inter-American Convention on the Granting of Civil Rights to Women was signed in 1948; in it, the states agreed to grant to women the same civil rights that men enjoy.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 32 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

Also in 1948, the CIM reaffirmed women’s political rights, equality of civil rights, and equality in the enforcement of the criminal code for men and women; recognized the need to increase women’s salaries and promotions to executive positions; and called for the inspection of women’s working conditions, the regulation of women’s night shifts and the economic situation of female workers during pregnancy, and women’s participation in international assemblies.

In 1951, the CIM spearheaded the first Equal Remuneration Convention, which was passed by the International Labour Organization.

1951: First Regional Seminar on the Civil, Political, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights of Women, spearheaded by the CIM.

In August 1952, the CIM approved requesting the ratification of regulations to eliminate human trafficking and the exploitation of prostitution; the establishment of female bureaus inpolice departments; and the inclusion of domestic workers in the social security system and in labor law. In March 1954, the CIM passed resolutions on the economic and political rights of women and their participation in the bodies of the inter-American system.

1957: Meeting of Specialized Technicians and Directors of Women’s Employment Offices, led by the CIM and the ILO.

1963: The Inter-American Leadership Training for Women project was established.

1966: First course under the Inter-American Program of Public Leadership for Women.

In November 1967, the CIM addressed the importance of women’s participation and emphasized the need for women to be involved in the cultural, social, and educational spheres; it also addressed the issue of married women’s freedom to participate in business and the need to establish alimony for divorced women.

November 7, 1967: The UN passed the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

1967: The CIM attached importance to women’s participation in integration through several measures: training women on integration, women’s participation in integration, and the creation of a specific committee to study the role of women in integration.

June 1968: Seminar on the participation of women in the development process, led by the CIM.

June 1969: First seminar on Latin American integration, led by the CIM.

November 1969: First seminar on the inclusion of woman in the rural sphere and in community development.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 33 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

1972: The CIM addressed issues like the inclusion of indigenous women in the development process in Latin America and the media’s influence on creating stereotypes about women in modern society.

June 1972: First seminar on the problems of indigenous women.

August 1972: Specialized Inter-American Conference for Comprehensive Education for Women.

September 22 to 29, 1972: Women of the Hemisphere Week.

1975 was declared the Year of the Woman of the Americas.

1975: The First World Conference on Women was held in Mexico City, and the United Nations Decade for Women began (1975-1985).

In 1976, the CIM introduced the concept of shared responsibility in couples, establishing criteria of equality between men and women in the family and social spheres. It also entered the discussion on the discrimination suffered by married women in some countries, with regard to matters like the home, paternal authority, and property rights.

1976-1985 was established as the Decade for Women.

1977: Creation of the Multinational Women’s Center for Research and Training, used to support the Commission in research, training, documentation, and information programs.

In 1978, the CIM discussed the full integration of women in the agrarian reform process and asked governments to revise their criminal laws and prison systems to provide protection for incarcerated pregnant women.

1978: On the fiftieth anniversary of its founding, the CIM entered into an Agreement withthe Organization of American States.

In 1979, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

In 1979, the Inter-American Convention on the Domicile of Natural Persons in Private International Law was passed and because of the CIM, it included an article on the conjugal domicile recognizing the right of each spouse to have his or her domicile determined independently.

1979: Creation of the project on appropriate technologies for rural women, which was intended to improve the productive processes used by rural women, in order to provide them and their families with an additional source of income.

1980: Creation of the specialized library on women, with books written by women, and by men on women’s issues.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 34 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

1980: The Second United Nations World Conference on Women was held in Copenhagen.

In 1982, the CIM called for policies on the acknowledgement of paternity and child support payments.

1982: February 18 was proclaimed Day of the Women of the Americas, established by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States to commemorate the founding of the CIM in 1928.

1985: The Third United Nations World Conference on Women was held in Nairobi, Kenya.

October 1986: The double role played by women as mothers and workers, and the need to reconcile those two positions, was recognized; access to education for all women, and especially for working and vulnerable women, was promoted; special attention was focused on women made refugees and displaced by the Central American conflict.

1986: Creation of the Plan of Action: “Full and Equal Participation of Women by the year 2000,” which established the framework for CIM activities and prioritized the elimination of discrimination, equality of economic opportunity, equal pay at work, equal participation in political life, and the systematic inclusion of women in each country’s plans for development.

1990: The CIM convened a special meeting called the Inter-American Consultation on Women and Violence.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 35 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

October 1990: The twenty-fifth assembly of the CIM, held in Washington, D.C., drew upthe “Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women,” and adopted a resolution on the role of the media with regard to acts of violence against women.

October 1990: The need to implement social and economic measures for the problems faced by elderly women was brought up.

October 1992: The CIM demanded that women be included in decision-making on environmental policies in connection with the Inter-American Program of Action for Environmental Protection.

October 1992: Approval of the creation and implementation of the Democratic Action Leadership Training Program, to equip women with the skills that will empower them to be effective leaders in democratic society.

October 10-11, 1992: First Continental Congress of Women in the Americas.

June 9, 1994: Adoption of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará).

March 5, 1995: Entry into force of the Convention of Belém do Pará, the first international legal instrument to exclusively address violence against women.

1995: At the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women, the Beijing Platform for Action was adopted as a global road map for achieving gender equality. The CIM presented its Strategic Plan of Action there.

April 1998: The Second Summit of the Americas was held in Santiago, Chile. The CIM received a specific mandate to support implementation and monitoring of the commitments regarding the status of women agreed upon there.

1998: The “Plan of Action of the CIM on Women’s Participation in Power and Decision-Making Structures” was adopted.

1999: The UN established November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The date was chosen to commemorate the 1960 murder of the Mirabal sisters, political activists from the Dominican Republic, by order of Dominican ruler Rafael Leonidas Trujillo.

April 27 and 28, 2000: The first “Meeting of Ministers or of the Highest-Ranking Authorities responsible for the Advancement of Women in the Member States” (REMIM) was held in Washington, D.C. The “Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women’s Human Rights and Gender Equity and Equality“ (IAP) was adopted, having been passed by the OAS General Assembly in 2000 and supported by the Heads of State and Government of the Americas at the Third Summit.

2000: The CIM launched the SEPIA Initiative (Follow-up of the Inter-American Program), a process developed in collaboration with gender experts and prepared in order to implement the mandates of the IAP through the presentation of recommendations for mainstreaming gender and suggested lines of action for the member states at ministerial meetings.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 36 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

2000: SEPIA I – Gender and Labor: gender equality and women’s labor rights have been key components of the agenda of the Inter-American Conferences of Ministers of Labor (IACML), where the CIM has worked in close coordination with the OAS Department of Human Development, Education, and Employment to further gender equality in connection with decent work in the Americas.

April 2001: During the Third Summit of the Americas held in Quebec, the Heads of State endorsed the IAP as an effective instrument for mainstreaming gender in all policies and programs throughout the Hemisphere. Furthermore, a chapter on gender was incorporated.

September 2001: The OAS adopted the Inter-American Democratic Charter, in which the member states resolve to promote “the full and equal participation of women in the political structures of their countries as a fundamental element in the promotion and exercise of a democratic culture” (Article 28).

2001: SEPIA II – Gender and Justice: The CIM has worked to promote access to justice for women and the incorporation of women’s rights and gender equality issues in the administration of justice, including through the Meetings of Ministers of Justice or Other Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA).

2002: The CIM published the report “In Modern Bondage: Sex Trafficking in the Americas.” This study presents the results of research conducted in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.

2003: SEPIA III – Gender and Education: The CIM has worked with the Inter-American Meetings of Ministers of Education to push for the inclusion of gender equality and nonviolence in education curricula throughout the region, as well as for the elimination of gender stereotypes and sexist language, based on the premise that education, in addition to being a mechanism for social and economic mobility and integration and a means for overcoming poverty, is an exceptionally good arena in which to promote cultural changes that may facilitate the achievement of gender equity and equality.

2004: SEPIA IV – Gender and Science and Technology: The CIM has worked with the Meetings of Ministers and High Authorities of Science and Technology to bring attention to closing the gender digital divide and ensuring women and girls’ access to information and communications technologies (ICTs).

January 2004: Special Summit of the Americas, Monterrey, Mexico: The states reaffirmed their commitments to mainstreaming gender as a fundamental element in promoting development. The Heads of State and Government reiterated “that the empowerment of women, their full and equal participation in the development of our societies, and their equal opportunities to exercise leadership are fundamental for the reduction of poverty, the promotion of economic and social prosperity, and for people-centered sustainable development.”

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 37 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

April 2004: The Second Meeting of Ministers or of the Highest-Ranking Authorities responsible for the Advancement of Women in the Member States (REMIM) was held in Washington, D.C. The meeting approved recommendations that were brought to the Meeting of Ministers of Justice or Other Ministers or Attorney Generals of the Americas (REMJA-V), where they were included in the conclusions and recommendations and initiatives were proposed for the governments on the issues of trafficking in persons, especially in women and children, violence against women, and gender and justice.

October 2004: Creation of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI). The General Committee of the XXXII Assembly of Delegates of the CIM adopted a Declaration on the Adoption of a Statute of the Mechanism to Follow Up on Implementation of the Convention of Belém do Pará, for effective implementation.

2005: First meeting of the Committee of Experts of the MESECVI, at which the Rules of Procedure, Work Plan, schedule of activities, and the first questionnaire to be submitted to the states party on the implementation of the Convention, were approved.

2005: Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata: the member states acquired commitments to “eliminate discrimination against women at work through, among other measures, the implementation of a range of policies that will increase women’s access to decent, dignified, and productive work” and to “ensure equal access for men and women to the benefits of social protection and ensure attention to gender issues in labor and social policies”.

2006: Second meeting of the Committee of Experts of the MESECVI, held with the purpose of evaluating the questionnaires received from the states party and of making the applicable recommendations.

November 2007: The Seventh Special Assembly of the CIM was held in Washington, D.C., and the “Declaration of San Salvador: Gender, Violence, and HIV“ was adopted there. This declaration addresses the pandemic from the gender and human rights perspectives, showing the connections between violence against women and HIV/AIDS and recommending that the OAS member states help combat the spread of HIV by studying the pandemic’s impact on women.

2008: Adoption of the Declaration of Santiago on “Strengthening National Machineries for the Advancement of Women with a view to Gender Mainstreaming in Public Policies”.

August 2008: The Committee of Experts of the MESECVI adopted the “Declaration on Femicide.” In this Declaration, the CEVI draws attention to the scope of the problem of femicide, defines the concept, and calls on the states to classify it as a crime.

November 2008: Third Meeting of Ministers or of the Highest-Ranking Authorities responsible for the Advancement of Women in the Member States (REMIM III), held in Santiago, Chile. At this meeting, the governments were urged to include the gender perspective in all of the issues in the draft Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain (Fifth Summit of the Americas).

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 38 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

April 2009: Fifth Summit of the Americas held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The Fifth Summit affirmed the states’ commitment to strengthen institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, including the Convention of Belém do Pará and its funding, thereby encouraging the full and equal participation of women in political life and decision-making structures.

November 2010: The Declaration of the Inter-American Year of Women “Women and Power: for a World of Equality” was adopted with the aim of proclaiming 2010 as the year for its celebration, to promote broad mobilization in the Americas with a view to evaluating achievements made and challenges encountered in the defense of women’s human rights and gender equality, and to increasing public awareness of gender issues.

2011: The CIM launched the “Training Guide Participatory Strategic Planning with a Gender Perspective”.

April 2011: First Hemispheric Forum “Women’s Leadership for a Citizens’ Democracy,” held in Washington, D.C.

2011: Publication of “Citizens’ Democracy: Visions and debates from the perspective of women’s rights in the Americas” (only available in Spanish).

November 2011: Fourth Meeting of Ministers or of the Highest-Ranking Authorities responsible for the Advancement of Women in the Member States (REMIM IV) in San Salvador, El Salvador. Recommendations were approved for furthering the gender equality and women’s rights agendas in the preparatory process for the Sixth Summit of the Americas.

www.oas.org

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 39 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

November 2011: The CIM published “Advancing Gender Equality in the context of Decent Work.”

2012: As part of the agenda to improve the situation of women living with HIV in the region, the CIM published the report “Promising practices in the integrated management of HIV and violence against women“ (only available in Spanish) and the study “HIV and violence against women in Central America: A human rights-based comparative analysis of the legal framework”.

July 2012: Second Hemispheric Forum “Women’s Full Citizenship for Democracy,” held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

July 2012: The CIM published “Institutionalization of a gender approach in the ministries of labor of the Americas: Follow-up to the workshops on strategic planning with a gender perspective,” which focused on the follow-up to the training conducted in four subregional workshops with the ministries of labor and the national machineries for the advancement of women.

October 2012: the “Declaration of San José on the Economic and Political Empowerment of the Women of the Americas” was adopted.

2013: Launch of the publication “Banking on parity: democratizing the political system in Latin America” (only available in Spanish). Analytical case studies on the adoption and early implementation of parity in Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Ecuador as a sustainable and institutionalized alternative to quotas and other affirmative action measures.

August 2013: Publication of “Women’s citizenship in the democracies of the Americas” (only available in Spanish) out of the Second Hemispheric Forum “Women’s Full Citizenship for Democracy.” This analysis of the democratic systems of the Americas from the perspective of women’s citizenship goes beyond notions of representation and democratic institutions to encompass other spheres of life, such as gender, interculturalism, and sexual and reproductive citizenship.

2014: The CIM published the document “Women and drugs in the Americas: A policy working paper,” which discusses the issue of illegal drugs from a gender and human rights perspective.

February 2014: The MESECVI, together with the Council of Europe, published “Regional tools to fight violence against women: The Belém do Pará and Istanbul Conventions,” in an effortto contribute their strategies and actions to make progress on the agenda of women’s equality and violence-free lives.

May 2014: Belém do Pará +20 Hemispheric Forum “The Belém do Pará Convention and the Prevention of Violence against Women: Good practices and proposals for the future.” The Forum identified the progress, lessons learned, promising practices and experiences, and challenges to the effective prevention of violence from the key perspectives of education and communication for gender equality and nonviolence, with a view to establishing concrete policy and program recommendations to strengthen work in this area at the national and regional levels.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 40 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

May 2014: The CIM delegates and the Committee of Experts of the MESECVI jointly adopted the Declaration of Pachuca “Strengthening efforts to prevent violence against women.” This Declaration brings attention to the impact of education and communication on preventing violence against women, and urges the states to take further action on this issue.

July 2014: The MESECVI published the “Guide to the Application of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Belém do Pará Convention)“ to support the States in their obligations to protect women’s human rights and eliminate the situations of violence that can affect them. The guide is an instrument that serves to strengthen the knowledge, interpretation, and application of the Belém do Pará Convention.

September 2014: The Committee of Experts of the MESECVI adopted the “Declaration on Violence against Women, Girls, and Adolescents and their Sexual and Reproductive Rights,” in which it brings attention to the ties between violence against women and girls and their sexual and reproductive rights.

December 2014: Publication of the “Guide to strengthening the exercise of the human rights of women living with HIV in Latin America“ (only available in Spanish).

February 2015: The MESECVI published the “Practical Guide to the System of Progress Indicators for Measuring the Implementation of the Belém do Pará Convention” with the aim of supporting the process of consolidating the system of indicators in the countries of the region and facilitating the use thereof in all of the states party to the Convention.

October 2015: The Conference of States Parties of the MESECVI adopted the “Declaration on Political Harassment and Violence against Women,” in which the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention of Belém do Pará brings attention to the many forms of political harassment and violence suffered by women in the sphere of politics, and calls for those crimes to be prevented, addressed, and punished.

2016: The CIM launched the publication “Women, Drug Policies and Incarceration: A Guide for Policy Reform in Latin America and the Caribbean.” This publication is a guide for policymakers that offers a roadmap for policy reforms based on public health that respect human rights and incorporate a gender perspective.

2016: The MESECVI launched the “Hemispheric Report on Child Pregnancy in the States Party to the Belém do Pará Convention.” This report addresses the main consequences of sexual violence: child pregnancy, maternal mortality, and forced marriage, in particular highlighting the seriousness of maternal mortality in girls aged 10 to 14 years.

March 2016: Launch of the Hemispheric Report “Human Rights of Women Living with HIV in the Americas”.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 41 Together we will get there HISTORY / 90 years without stopping

March 2016: The OAS Secretary General launched the General Secretariat’s Institutional Policy on Gender Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights.

May 2016: Adoption of the “Declaration of Lima on Equality and Autonomy in the Exercise of Women’s Economic Rights“ at the 37th Assembly of Delegates of the CIM.

2017: Launch of the publication “Democracy and Parity in Latin America: The cases of Mexico and Nicaragua” (in Spanish), which resulted from the joint work of the CIM and IDEA International towards strengthening women’s political rights in democracies.

October 2017: Launch of the Plan of Action of the “Institutional Policy on Gender Equity and Equality, Diversity and Human Rights in the General Secretariat of the OAS”.

www.google.com

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 42 Together we will get there

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 43 Together we will get there HISTORY / All the times the CIM has blazed the trail

In May 1923, the women of the Americas presented, to an international organization, the need to include a gender equality program to ensure that women would enjoy the same civil and political rights, responsibilities, and freedoms as men.

February 18, 1928: The Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) was established as the first intergovernmental organization specifically founded to fight for the rights of women.

In December 1938, the Lima Declaration in favor of Women’s Rights recognized women’s rights to access political life in the same conditions as men; to enjoy equality in terms of marital status; to protection and to job opportunities; to receive the broadest protection possible as mothers.

The Inter-American Convention on the Granting of Political Rights to Women was signed in March 1948; it set forth that the rights to vote and to be elected to national office shall not be denied or abridged by reason of sex.

The Inter-American Convention on the Granting of Civil Rights to Women was signed in 1948; in it, the states agreed to grant to women the same civil rights that men enjoy.

In 1951, the CIM spearheaded the first Equal Remuneration Convention, which was passed by the International Labour Organization.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 44 Together we will get there HISTORY / All the times the CIM has blazed the trail

In March 1954, the CIM passed resolutions on the economic and political rights of women and their participation in the bodies of the inter-American system.

1972: the CIM addressed issues like the inclusion of indigenous women in the development process in Latin America and the media’s influence on creating stereotypes about women in modern society.

In 1976 the CIM introduced the concept of shared responsibility in couples, establishing criteria of equality between men and women in the family and social spheres. It also entered the discussion on the discrimination suffered by married women in some countries, with regard to matters like the home, paternal authority, and property rights.

In 1978 the CIM discussed the full integration of women in the agrarian reform process and asked governments to revise their criminal laws and prison systems to provide protection for incarcerated pregnant women.

In 1982, the CIM called for policies on the acknowledgement of paternity and child support payments.

June 9, 1994: adoption of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará).

March 5, 1995: Entry into force of the Convention of Belém do Pará, the first international legal instrument to exclusively address violence against women.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 45 Together we will get there HISTORY / All the times the CIM has blazed the trail

February 2014: The MESECVI, together with the Council of Europe, published “Regional Tools to Fight Violence against Women: the Belém do Pará and Istanbul Conventions” in an effort to contribute their strategies and actions to make progress on the agenda of women’s equality and violence-free lives.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 46 Together we will get there

PRESIDENTS OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION OF WOMEN (1928-2018)

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 47 Together we will get there HISTORY / Presidents of the CIM

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 48 Together we will get there HISTORY / Presidents of the CIM

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 49 Together we will get there HISTORY / Presidents of the CIM

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 50 Together we will get there HISTORY / Presidents of the CIM

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 51 Together we will get there HISTORY / Presidents of the CIM

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 52 Together we will get there HISTORY / Presidents of the CIM

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 53 Together we will get there HISTORY / Presidents of the CIM

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 54 Together we will get there HISTORY / Presidents of the CIM

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 55 Together we will get there HISTORY / Presidents of the CIM

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 56 TOGETHER WE CAN Understand what affects us and who is with us.

In the past few years, the CIM has positioned itself as a leader in progress on gender equality and preventing and eliminating discrimination and violence against women. However, to achieve its objectives, the CIM needs everyone to collaborate and participate, from governments and the State to the feminist movement, academics, administrators of justice, and health and education professionals, etc.

57 Together we can

TYPES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Violence against women is not only physical and private. Rather, it takes many forms and comes in many types, some of which go unnoticed since society has normalized them. Violence against women can occur in both the public and private spheres, and may even be perpetuated and/or tolerated by State agents.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 58 Together we can TYPES OF VIOLENCE

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Any action or conduct, based on gender, which causes death or physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, whether in the public or the private sphere.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and that is based on socially ascribed differences between males and females.

BEHAVIOR BY AN INTIMATE PARTNER OR EX-PARTNER That causes physical, psychological, or sexual harm, including physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse, and controlling behaviors.

PHYSICAL VIOLENCE An act attempting to cause or resulting in pain and/or physical injury. At its most extreme, physical violence may lead to femicide, or the gender-based killing of a woman. Sometimes trafficking and slavery are also included in the category of physical violence because they often involve coercion at the outset.

VERBAL VIOLENCE Verbal abuse can include put-downs in private or in front of others, ridiculing, the use of swear words that are especially uncomfortable for the victim, threatening with other forms of violence against the victim or against somebody or something dear to them.

PSYCHOLOGICAL VIOLENCE Threatening behaviors that do not necessarily involve physical violence or even verbal abuse. It can include actions that reference former acts of violence, or purposeful ignorance and neglect of the other, isolation or confinement, withholding information, etc.

SEXUAL VIOLENCE Actions with a sexual nature committed with a person without their consent, which besides including the physical invasion of the human body, may include acts that do not entail penetration or even any physical contact whatsoever.

OBSTETRIC VIOLENCE Form of violence that seeks to create a hostile environment to embarrass, intimidate, belittle, or degrade women. Some examples: direct or indirect threats of physical or sexual violence; discrimination through sexist, racist, or homophobic content; online harassment; revealing or sharing personal information or documents or private images of the woman without her consent, etc.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 59 Together we can TYPES OF VIOLENCE

ECONOMIC AND PROPERTY-BASED VIOLENCE Actions or omissions that affect the survival of victims, depriving them of the economic resources necessary to maintain the home and family, or of essential property assets that satisfy the basic needs for life, such as food, clothing, housing, and access to healthcare. Daily acts that hamper women’s abilities to live decent lives.

AGAINST WOMEN IN POLITICAL LIFE VIOLENCE Any action, conduct, or omission, carried out directly or through third parties that, based on gender, causes harm or suffering to a woman or to various women, with the effect of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise by women of their political rights.

ONLINE VIOLENCE, HARASSMENT, AND ABUSE Form of violence that seeks to create a hostile environment to embarrass, intimidate, belittle, or degrade women. Some examples: direct or indirect threats of physical or sexual violence; discrimination through sexist, racist, or homophobic content; online harassment; revealing or sharing personal information or documents or private images of the woman without her consent, etc.

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION Todos los procedimientos que implican la resección parcial o total de los genitales externos femeninos u otras lesiones de los órganos genitales femeninos por razones no médicas.

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of various forms of coercion to obtain consent, including threats, fraud, deception, and the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include sexual exploitation and slavery or practices similar thereto.The trafficking of women for the purpose of sexual exploitation may be punished even if carried out with the consent of the female victim.

SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE Set of attitudes, gestures, behavior patterns, and beliefs, whose conceptualization makes it possible to understand the existence of the oppression and subordination of women and other traditionally excluded groups. Symbolic violence is a means of upholding mistreatment and discrimination, and it is present in all the other types of violence defined above.

FEMICIDE/FEMINICIDE The violent death of women based on gender, whether it occurs within the family, a domestic partnership, or any other interpersonal relationship; in the community, by any person, or when it is perpetrated or tolerated by the state or its agents, by action or omission.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 60 Together we can

CONCEPTS Certain basic concepts must be mastered in order to understand the fight to achieve equality and fully guarantee the rights of all women; this will avoid confusion and ensure precision in the language used to reach the objectives.

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ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 61 Together we can CONCEPTS

FEMINISM Belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.

SORORITY Partnership and solidarity among women to change their lives and the world in a fair, libertarian way. The concept of sorority spells out the ethical-political principles of equivalence and parity relationships among women.

PATRIARCHY The organization of the social, ideological, and political system that has historically been imposed— through force, pressure, tradition, the law, language, customs, education, or the division of labor— to ensure and perpetuate the submission of women and other traditionally excluded groups to various power groups, typically male.

GENDER The way the roles associated with male and female are expressed, through culture, society, and history.

GENDER EQUALITY When men and women enjoy the same status and have equal opportunities to realize their full human rights and their potential to contribute to political, economic, social, and cultural development.

GENDER EQUITY That is to say, all of the measures that make it possible to offset the historical and social disadvantages that prevent women’s equal enjoyment of the benefits of development. For example, the nondiscrimination and gender mainstreaming policies taught in various government organizations.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING Strategy for including women’s concerns and experiences in the development of policies and programs in all political, economic, and social spheres so that inequality is not perpetuated. The states have the challenge of incorporating the gender perspective at all levels of public administration.

GENDER IDENTITY Each person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 62 Together we can CONCEPTS

GENDER STEREOTYPES Preconceived ideas, prejudices, beliefs, and opinions that are generally ascribed to various groups of people. Sexist stereotypes serve to justify and perpetuate the situation of inferiority and discrimination experienced by women.

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN Any distinction, exclusion, or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise by women of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any sphere.

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT Process by which women obtain and develop authority, ability, and control over their own lives. One of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

SEXISM All of the methods used by the patriarchal system to perpetuate the inferior status, subordination, and exploitation of females.

ANDROCENTRISM Placing man at the center of all things. It is one of the strategies, conscious or otherwise, used to withhold and deny women their rights and prevent their full participation.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 63 Together we can

EMERGING ISSUES

Despite the progress that has been made on the complete fulfillment of women’s rights, new obstacles have emerged for women, and in some countries there have been setbacks in the forward movement towards equality and the elimination of violence. As society moves towards guaranteeing and protecting women’s rights, new fronts for the battle are becoming apparent, as well as necessary. Accordingly, the CIM has identified ten priority issues to work on.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 64 Together we can EMERGING ISSUES

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP

In a disconcerting scenario that lacks women leaders, and in which anti-gender movements are proliferating, with leaders and authorities speaking out against women’s rights, a persistent gap between formal rights and the implementation thereof in women’s daily lives, and troubling levels of corruption in the region, among other issues, the CIM holds that women’s leadership and empowerment are fundamental to change in the region. The idea is not only to increase the number of women in leadership and decision-making positions, but also to support their capacity for effective advocacy in decision-making and to foster a cross-cutting agenda of gender equality. Women’s empowerment and leadership encourage strong, sustainable economies and strengthen the legitimacy of democratic systems, by ensuring that a greater diversity of voices will contribute to political and economic decision-making processes.

ECONOMIC AUTONOMY OF WOMEN

In the Declaration of Lima on Equality and Autonomy in the Exercise of Women’s Economic Rights, the CIM expressed that women’s autonomy is a vital imperative for achieving gender equality. In the region, there are still obstacles that prevent women from earning their own incomes and generating their own resources on a level playing field with men. These obstacles include the enduring salary gap that continues to breed discrimination and inequality; women’s integration into the labor market without their partners taking on their commensurate joint responsibility (meaning that women continue to be the primary caretakers of the household, children, and elderly adults); and the concentration of women in the services sector and informal economy, where they face greater job insecurity, earn less, and are more likely to be assaulted, harassed, or exploited; among other realities.

FEMINICIDE OR FEMICIDE

In the Declaration on Femicide, the Committee of Experts of the MESECVI stated that femicide is the gravest form of discrimination and violence against women. The high rates of violence against women, women’s limited or total lack of access to justice, the prevailing impunity in such cases, and the persistence of discriminatory sociocultural patterns, among other causes, lead to increased deaths. Article 7 of the Convention of Belém do Pará establishes that the states should condemn all forms of violence against women and agree to pursue, by all appropriate means and without delay, policies to prevent, punish, and eradicate such violence.

INTERSECTIONALITY AND THE HUMAN-RIGHTS APPROACH

Of particular concern is the lack of services in view of the many factors of discrimination and violence faced by women, girls, and adolescents with disabilities; elderly adults; people of African descent; indigenous persons; female peasants; lesbians; transsexual and intersex persons; and female migrants and refugees, among others. Article 9 of the Convention of Belém do Pará calls on the states to take special account of the vulnerability to violence of these women and girls, in particular when they are pregnant, socioeconomically disadvantaged, affected by armed conflict, or deprived of their freedom. Accordingly, the MESECVI included intersectionality and the human- rights approach among the strategic challenges to eradicating the various types of violence against women in the region.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 65 Together we can EMERGING ISSUES

SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND CHILD PREGNANCY:

The international community and organizations working to guarantee women’s human rights are very concerned about the high rates of sexual violence; its direct effects on marriages, unions, and child pregnancies; forced maternity; and the absence of policies to address this grave situation. Sexual violence not only affects the physical and reproductive health of the victims, but also increases the risk of maternal and infant mortality and leads to high-risk pregnancies and other pregnancy-related problems such as unsafe abortions, premature births, fetal distress, etc. Because of this, in the Hemispheric Report on Child Pregnancy in the States Party to the Belém do Pará Convention the Committee of Experts of the MESECVI emphatically stated that sexual relations with girls under 14 years of age constitute a crime, and that all pregnancies in girls under the age of 14 should be considered to have resulted from sexual violence.

CHILD MARRIAGE AND EARLY, FORCED UNIONS

In the Americas, forced child marriage and unions are harmful practices that violate and disregard human rights, especially the human rights of girls and adolescents. UNICEF estimates that 23% of girls in Latin America and the Caribbean are married or in a union before they turn 18. Furthermore, LAC is the only region in the world where the rates of child marriage and early unions are increasing as opposed to decreasing. The states in the region should step up their efforts and prioritize initiatives that seek to change this scenario by, for example, improving data collection, promoting legislative reforms, designing public policies, and ensuring the coordinated, integrated response of the international community, governments, academia, and civil society.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN POLITICAL LIFE

The violence exercised against women in political life constitutes a grave violation of their human rights and a threat to the region’s democracies. Because of this, the Committee of Experts of the MESECVI adopted the Inter-American Model Law on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence Against Women in Political Life, which is intended to serve as a legal basis, providing the states the legal framework necessary to guarantee women’s right to a violence- free political life, in the understanding that eliminating this violence is an essential condition for democracy and governance in the hemisphere.

PARITY IN POLITICAL LIFE

With parity, the idea of political power is reformulated into a space that should be shared equally by men and women. Given the enduring political exclusion of women, it is imperative to understand parity as a general democratic principal and as a strategy designed to resolve the deficiencies of representative democracies. Accordingly, the CIM has addressed this issue from a comprehensive perspective involving two dimensions. First, parity access of men and women to all state institutions (legislative, executive, judicial), and especially to positions of power, from local to international, and in general, to all public and political organizations, including political parties, unions, and other social and political organizations. Second, parity must be aimed at ensuring that the conditions in which women exercise their political rights are free of discrimination and violence.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 66 Together we can EMERGING ISSUES

DRUG POLICIES AND INCARCERATION FOR WOMEN

A CIM investigation revealed that in many countries of the region the majority of incarcerated women are in prison for drug-related sentences. However, women do not tend to have prominent roles in drug-trafficking networks, and are instead concentrated in lower ranking, more dangerous positions. With the publication “Women, Drug Policies, and Incarceration”, the CIM seeks to offer a roadmap for implementing changes that could benefit thousands of incarcerated women in the Americas.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND DISAPPEARED WOMEN

Globally, trafficking in persons chiefly affects women and girls, with 71% of victims being female. Further, three out of every four women and girl victims of trafficking are used for the purposes of sexual exploitation. The Convention of Belém do Pará recognizes the trafficking of women as a form of violence against them, and therefore obliges the states party to prevent, investigate, punish, and eradicate this problem. The limited amount of statistical information on women reported as disappeared is concerning, as it means that the number of women in the hemisphere affected by this problem is unknown. However, the issue’s inherent relationship with human trafficking and the dynamic of sexual exploitation, as well as with other forms of violence against women contained in the Convention, has nevertheless been established. Accordingly, trafficking in persons and the disappearance of women are included among the strategic challenges to work on eradicating with the states.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 67 Together we can

THE MAJOR CHALLENGE: REDUCE THE IMPLEMENTATION GAP TO GUARANTEE WOMEN’S RIGHTS.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 68 Together we can THE MAJOR CHALLENGE

In the past few decades, the Americas have adopted countless binding legal agreements, political statements, and commitments that offer political and regulatory support for protecting and guaranteeing the rights of women. On paper, women enjoy a broad range of rights on a level playing field with men. However, there is a gap between these rights, recognized by law, and women’s realities. That is to say, these rights, consecrated in treaties, laws, and/or regulations, have not yet decisively impacted women’s daily lives.

Therefore, one of the states’ biggest challenges in seeking to tangibly improve women’s lives is to shrink this gap as much as possible, eradicating the obstacles to sustainable development, effective democratic governance, and human security.

In order to move safely towards shrinking the implementation gap, the states should, among other initiatives:

*Develop appropriate laws and/or public policies in order to execute initiatives in a participatory way from the perspective of diversity among women, nationally and internationally.

*Produce timely, trustworthy, and accessible information and data on the status of women’s rights.

*Ensure that research and follow-up studies are performed on the policies and strategies for protecting women’s rights.

*Strengthen institutional and intersector coordination of actions to promote and protect women’s human rights.

*Allocate the necessary human and financial resources to ensure the effective implementation of laws and policies, not only to the national machineries for women, but to the entire public sector in a cross-cutting way.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 69 Together we can

THREATS TO WOMEN’S RIGHTS

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 70 Together we can THREATS

Despite the significant progress made towards the recognition and exercise of women’s human rights in the Americas, some existing dynamics still threaten effective access to these rights. Most notably, they include:

PERSISTENCE OF DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

No country in the region has been able to guarantee the right of all women to live free of violence and discrimination. One of the principal reasons for this is the persistence of sociocultural patterns and practices that legitimize, strengthen, and exacerbate violence against women. For this reason, Article 8 of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará) establishes that the states should adopt all measures necessary to modify these patterns of conduct that underpin violence against women, and further, the population should be educated about the problems related to this type of violence.

IMPLEMENTATION GAP

Despite the significant legislative progress made and the development of regulations in the states in the region, there is still a gap between the commitments acquired by the states and women’s realities. Laws recognizing the rights of women are undeniably important, but they are not sufficient, and they should be accompanied by strategies, measures, and actions that make it possible to guarantee the recognized rights. For example, increased budgets for eradicating violence against women, since at present the countries in the region allocate less than 1% of their total budgets to programs and plans to combat gender violence and other associated institutions. Setting down rights in the law is only the first step towards making progress towards protecting and guaranteeing women’s human rights.

ANTI-GENDER/ANTI-WOMEN’S RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS:

In the past few years, the amount of hate speech referring pejoratively to the analytical category of gender as an ideology, mainly through moral and religious judgments that legitimize violence against women, has proliferated. This hate speech misleads the population, foments male chauvinism and misogyny, perpetuates discriminatory stereotypes and gender roles, and could influence government decisions, all of which transform into overt setbacks for women’s liberation.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 71 Together we can

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS Creating networks

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 72 Together we can ORGANIZATIONS

ASOCIACIÓN CIVIL COMUNICACIÓN PARA LA IGUALDAD [COMMUNICATION FOR EQUALITY CIVIL ASSOCIATION] (Argentina) The Asociación Civil Comunicación para la Igualdad is a civil society organization with legal personality granted by the Corporate Records Office. Its purpose is to promote gender equality in communications, in all spheres (journalism, internal and external institutional communications, publicity, campaigns, etc.).

CLADEM: COMITÉ DE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE PARA LA DEFENSA DE LOS DERECHOS DE LAS MUJERES [LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN COMMITTEE FOR THE DEFENSE OF WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS] (Regional) CLADEM is a feminist network that works to promote the full enforcement of women’s rights in Latin America and the Caribbean, using the law as a tool for change. It has held Category II consultative status with the United Nations since 1995 and has been recognized for participation in OAS activities since 2002.

HEARTLAND ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN NEEDS AND HUMAN RIGHTS (Global) Heartland Alliance is a global organization working to fight poverty. It mainly works in communities in the United States, but also works with communities in other parts of the world to serve those who are homeless, living in poverty, or seeking safety. It provides a comprehensive array of services in the areas of health, housing, jobs, and justice, and leads state and national policy efforts that target lasting change for individuals and society.

ASOCIACIÓN PARA UNA VIDA MEJOR DE PERSONAS INFECTADAS/AFECTADAS POR EL VIH-SIDA EN HONDURAS [ASSOCIATION FOR A BETTER LIFE FOR PERSONS INFECTED/AFFECTED BY HIV-AIDS IN HONDURAS] (APUVIMEH) (Honduras)

OBSERVATORY ON GENDER VIOLENCE (OVG) OF THE OMBUDSMAN OF THE PROVINCE OF BUENOS AIRES (Argentina) The OVG was created by the Ombudsman as a tool to contribute towards progress on unifying gender violence registries. One of its most important functions is to make public recommendations to the relevant bodies and raise awareness in the citizenry and in key actors of the need for a single registry of cases of gender violence for the province of Buenos Aires.

ABOSEX ABOGAD*S POR LOS DERECHOS SEXUALES [ATTORNEYS FOR SEXUAL RIGHTS] (Argentina) We are a team of legal activists committed to human rights and sexual rights. We are united around the possibility of creating social and political transformations through our critical advocacy on the law.

AMMAR (Argentina) The Asociación de Mujeres Meretrices de Argentina [Association of Argentine Women Sex Workers] (AMMAR) was founded in response to the constant harassment and violence by the police. By coming together we have discovered that in our union lies the strength and the drive to achieve objectives that will benefit sex workers and society in general.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 73 Together we can ORGANIZATIONS

RED DE TRABAJADORAS SEXUALES DE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE [LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN NETWORK OF SEX WORKERS] (REDTRASEX) (Regional) The Latin American and Caribbean Network of Sex Workers was founded in 1997 out of a meeting in Heredia, Costa Rica, where women sex workers from the region gathered for the first time. REDTRASEX is made up of organizations of women sex workers and/or former sex workers, through which we represent ourselves. Our network includes organizations from 14 countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, and Mexico).

AKAHATÁ. EQUIPO DE TRABAJO EN SEXUALIDADES Y GÉNEROS [WORKING GROUP ON SEXUALITY AND GENDER] (Regional) Akahatá is a team of individuals committed to human rights who have come together to work on issues related to gender and sexuality and the rights derived therefrom, from a perspective that covers social, cultural, economic, legal, and all other aspects that foster the promotion and protection of the full exercise of sexuality, based on gender equity, freedom, respect for diversity, and enjoyment without any coercion or abuse of power whatsoever.

REDLACTRANS RED LATINOAMERICANA Y DEL CARIBE DE PERSONAS TRANS [LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN NETWORK OF TRANS PERSONS] (Regional) REDLACTRANS is a network of trans persons from Latin America and the Caribbean. We work to ensure the fulfillment and exercise of human rights with and for our population through strategies like political advocacy, awareness-raising, participation, and strengthening our organizations in actions in health, education, and justice.

TRANSVIDA (Costa Rica) Promote comprehensive health, opportunities for formal, alternative, and lifelong education; promote education on and the defense of the human rights of the target population.

UNES UNIDAS EN LA ESPERANZA [UNITED IN HOPE] (Paraguay) Peer health promotion. Legal and psychological advising, counseling. Health checks. Telephone numbers: 46 116 - 0983465174 E-mail: [email protected] Address: Tacuarí 348 c/ 25 de Mayo

FUNDACIÓN INSTITUTO DE LA MUJER [WOMEN’S INSTITUTE FOUNDATION] (Chile) We are a nongovernmental organization that has been promoting feminist, secular, and humanitarian proposals since 1987 to overcome all forms of discrimination against women.

LEASUR LITIGACIÓN ESTRUCTURAL PARA AMÉRICA DEL SUR [STRUCTURAL LITIGATION FOR SOUTH AMERICA](Chile) Leasur is a nongovernmental organization founded in Santiago, Chile, in January 2014 and dedicated to defending and promoting the rights of persons deprived of liberty, with a critical approach. Through strategic litigation, Leasur seeks to ensure conditions of justice and equality for the prison population and to influence the generation of public policies that make more efficient use of prisons in Chile.

AGRUPACIÓN LÉSBICA ROMPIENDO EL SILENCIO [BREAKING THE SILENCE LESBIAN ASSOCIATION] (Chile) Constant reinvention for the human rights of lesbian and bisexual women in Chile. More than 14 years.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 74 Together we can ORGANIZATIONS

FUNDACIÓN MARGEN DE APOYO Y PROMOCIÓN DE LA MUJER [MARGIN OF SUPPORT AND ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN FOUNDATION](Chile) The Fundación Margen is an organization that was founded in 1998 as a forum for defending the rights of women, especially women sex workers. It was formed by individuals from the Asociación Pro Derechos de la Mujer [Pro-Women’s Rights Association] and the Sindicato Ángela Lina [Ángela Lina Union].

OBSERVATORIO CONTRA EL ACOSO CALLEJERO [OBSERVATORY AGAINST STREET HARASSMENT] (OCAC) (Chile) A nonprofit organization that seeks to raise awareness as street harassment as a form of gender- based violence. We are a space where men and women can give their testimonies and opinions on these aggressions that occur on a daily basis in public places.

COLECTIVO CONTRA LA VIOLENCIA GINECO-OBSTÉTRICA [COLLECTIVE AGAINST GYNECOLOGICAL- OBSTETRIC VIOLENCE] (Chile) The Colectivo Contra la Violencia Obstétrica was founded at the end of 2014, mainly due to our concern upon repeatedly hearing the testimonies and stories of family members, friends, and acquaintances about their discomfort, painful memories, and even physical sequelae of their gynecological experiences, such as uncomfortable appointments with the gynecologist or midwife, traumatic births, and totally uncalled for mistreatment. We saw that this was happening over and over again, which made us wonder why these expressions of violence were so socially and culturally accepted.

ONG RAÍCES [ROOTS NGO] (HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION) (Chile) The NGO Raíces is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and restituting the rights of girls, boys, adolescents, and women. In our more than 20 years of work, our organization has specialized in research, prevention, raising awareness, monitoring public policies, training key actors, communications for a rights culture, and the redress of damages for diverse human rights violations, particularly sexual violence and human trafficking.

RED CONTRA LA VIOLENCIA HACIA LAS MUJERES [NETWORK AGAINST VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN] (Chile) The Red Chilena contra la Violencia hacia las Mujeres [Chilean Network against Violence against Women], formerly the Red Chilena contra la Violencia Doméstica y Sexual [Chilean Network against Domestic and Sexual Violence], is a coordinated group of collectives, social, nongovernmental, and women’s organizations, that has been working to help eradicate violence against women and girls since 1990. Its actions include reporting, campaigns, studies, and other public interventions coordinated throughout the country; it organizes film series and talks, implements training schools, and has been conducting the nationwide campaign “Careful! Misogyny kills” since 2007.

CORPORACÍON HUMANAS [HUMAN CORPORATION] (WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS) (Chile) Corporación Humanas was founded in 2004 by a group of feminist, professional, women human rights defenders, with the aim of creating a space for action, reflection, and advocacy on the country’s institutional development, in order to help further democracy and the inclusion of women.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 75 Together we can ORGANIZATIONS

CORPORACÓN MILES [MILES CORPORATION] (Chile) Corporación MILES Chile is a private nonprofit, nongovernmental organization. Since its founding in 2010, its mission has been to generate knowledge, public policies, and legislative changes, and to train, educate, and coordinate networks for promoting sexual and reproductive rights in the country in connection with human rights, thus helping to improve comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare services.

CASA DE MEMORIA JOSÉ DOMINGO CAÑAS [JOSÉ DOMINGO CAÑAS HOUSE OF MEMORY] (COMMITTEE OF HUMAN RIGHTS OBSERVERS) (Chile) The Fundación 1367 [1367 Foundation], which manages and represents the Casa de Memoria José Domingo Cañas, is a nonprofit legal entity established as such in April 2009, based on the historical, collective, and self-managed experience of various groups of family members of disappeared detainees, survivors, artists, militants, and former militants, among other social actors, who have come together to recover the historical memory of the experiences of neighborhood, student, and grassroots organizations that fought to build a fairer, more egalitarian society, that are participating in the unrestricted defense of human rights and the social commitment to recognition of and justice for the repression exercised in Chile by the military-civilian dictatorship from 1973-1990.

COLOMBIA DIVERSA [DIVERSE COLOMBIA] (Colombia) Founded in 2004, Colombia Diversa is the leading organization in defense of the human rights of LGBT persons in Colombia. Its work focuses on three main areas: 1.Promoting and defending the human and legal rights of LGBT persons in Colombia; 2. Working to positively change ideas about LGBT persons in Colombia; 3. Promoting the organization and the political impact of the LGBT community in Colombia.

COALITION OF LGBTTTI ORGANIZATIONS(Regional) ILGA—the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association—is a worldwide federation of local and national member organizations campaigning for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex persons.

WOMEN’S LINK WORLDWIDE (Global) At Women’s Link Worldwide, we use the power of the law to promote social change that advances the human rights of women and girls, especially those facing multiple inequalities.

SOCIETY AGAINST SEXUAL ORIENTATION DISCRIMINATION.(Guyana) SASOD is an organization committed to ending all forms of homophobia in Guyana, including transphobia, biphobia, and lesbophobia. To achieve this goal, we focus on engaging key sectors of society where anti-LGBT prejudices are prevalent. Through a discrimination reporting and documentation system, awareness and education activities, and direct engagement with people, our homophobia(s) program seeks to cultivate positive changes in attitudes which drive stigma and discrimination against LGBT people.

CENTRO DE PROMOCIÓN Y DEFENSA DE LOS DERECHOS SEXUALES Y REPRODUCTIVOS – PROMSEX. (Perú) PROMSEX is a feminist nongovernmental organization made up of professional and activist men and women seeking to ensure that the integrity and dignity of persons is respected in their access to sexual and reproductive health, and to promote justice and human safety, through political advocacy, knowledge generation, and coordination with other civil society organizations.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 76 AN ISSUE THAT CONCERNS US ALL Compilation of tips and data that describe, like a photograph, the situation of gender violence in the Americas.

CONVENTION OF BELÉM DO PARÁ

JUSTICE

VIOLENCE

FEMINICIDE

GENDER EQUALITY

CHILD MARRIAGE / EARLY UNIONS

POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN

LEGISLATION

POPULATION

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY

EDUCATION

77 An issue that concerns us all SIGNIFICANT DATA

CONVENTION OF BELÉM DO PARÁ -The Convention of Belém do Pará is innovative because it establishes that all women have the right to a life free of violence, in both the public and private spheres. -The states have the obligation to prevent, punish, and eradicate violence against women.

-A cultural transformation is necessary to eradicate the unequal power relations that affect women.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 78 An issue that concerns us all SIGNIFICANT DATA

JUSTICE

-The impunity of violence against women helps to perpetuate and create social acceptance of the problem. -The gender perspective should be incorporated into all spheres and levels of the public service. Most acts of violence against women go unpunished. -The inefficiency of the administration of justice in cases involving women is aformof discrimination against women. -Female victims of violence and their family members have the right to comprehensive redress for the harm done to them, including financial compensation. -Many women decide to not report violence against them due to the inefficiency of the justice system. -The lack of an institutional response to women’s complaints is another form of violence against them.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 79 An issue that concerns us all SIGNIFICANT DATA

VIOLENCE -Violence against women: any action or conduct, based on gender, which causes death or physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, whether in the public or the private sphere. -Sexual violence: conduct that violates a woman’s right to freely decide about her sexuality. -Sexual slavery: when a woman is sold, exchanged, or forced to perform sexual acts. -Sexual harassment: when one person, who is in a position of power, demands that another perform sexual acts, under threat or with the promise of a benefit. -Political violence: any action, conduct, or omission in the political sphere directed against women because they are women, or that disproportionately affects women, with the goal or result of partially or fully preventing women from enjoying their political rights. -Feminicide: the violent death of a woman on account of her gender, whether it occurs within the family, a domestic partnership, or any other interpersonal relationship; in the community, committed by any person, or when it is perpetrated or tolerated by the state or its agents, by action or omission.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 80 An issue that concerns us all SIGNIFICANT DATA

FEMINICIDE -In Latin America and the Caribbean, feminicides are the gravest expression of discrimination and violence against women. -The high rates of violence against women, women’s limited or total lack of access to justice, the prevailing impunity in cases of violence against women, and the persistence of discriminatory sociocultural patterns, among other causes, lead to increased deaths. -Women in all conditions, situations, and stages of life are victims of feminicide. -Every day, 12 women are killed because they are women. -More than 2,089 women were victims of feminicide in 2014. -Seventeen Latin American countries have laws against feminicide. -More than half of the 25 countries with the highest rates of feminicides in the world are located in Latin America and the Caribbean. -Assault and homicide are the second leading cause of death for women between 15 and 39 years of age. -Violence against women can occur in the family or the community, and be perpetrated or tolerated by the state or its agents, wherever it takes place. -Women and girls in more vulnerable groups that have historically been discriminated against are more likely to suffer violence. -Feminicides are more likely to go unpunished when they occur in emergency situations, armed conflicts, natural disasters, and other risky situations.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 81 An issue that concerns us all SIGNIFICANT DATA

CHILD MARRIAGE / EARLY UNIONS -Child marriage profoundly affects the victimized girls, their children, their families, and even their communities. -Girls who marry or enter into a union at an early age are less likely to continue and finish their studies. -Girls who are victims of child marriage or early unions are more likely to give birth before they turn 18 years of age. -Girls who are victims of child marriage or early unions are more likely to earn less in the future. -Girls who are victims of child marriage or early unions are more likely to suffer gender-based violence. -If child marriage were eradicated, the benefits in terms of wellbeing for the populations could reach more than USD 500 billion annually. -Girls and adolescents in early unions are at higher risk of suffering sexual violence. -In some countries, more than 21% of maternal deaths are adolescents 10 to 14 years old. -Sexual contact with girls under the age of 14 is always considered to be sexual abuse.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 82 An issue that concerns us all SIGNIFICANT DATA

GENDER EQUALITY -Today, the gender equality agenda is a fundamental part of the good in the world. -Gender equality and the empowerment of all the women and girls in the world is goal for 193 countries in the world, approved in 2015 as the fifth Sustainable Development Goal in the 2030 Agenda.

POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN -In Latin America, lower houses, on average, are 28.2% women. -To reach gender parity, political commitment and will are needed at all levels, including in political parties.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 83 An issue that concerns us all SIGNIFICANT DATA

LEGISLATION -The Latin America and Caribbean region is the world’s most advanced in terms of legislation on violence against women. -All Latin American countries have laws or policies in place to protect the rights of women.

POPULATION -The population of women in Latin America is slightly larger than the population of men.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 84 An issue that concerns us all SIGNIFICANT DATA

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY

-The risk of maternal mortality in girls and adolescents younger than 16 is four times higher than in other women. -The neonatal mortality rate for children born to girls and adolescents is 50% higher than for those born to other women. -In the region, between 11 and 20% of pregnancies in girls and adolescents result from sexual violence.

-In some countries, adolescents 10 to 14 years old account for more than 21% of maternal deaths.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 85 An issue that concerns us all SIGNIFICANT DATA

EDUCATION -Women and girls have the right to be educated in a violence-free environment without stereotypes. -Latin American women are more educated than men, but this has not played out in the labor market. -In Latin America and the Caribbean, 98.6% of women between 15 and 24 years of age are literate. In some countries, over 99% of them are.

ATLAS OF THE STRUGGLES OF WOMEN- 90 YEARS CIM 86